Is Dat U Yh? at Brixton House Theatre

In a moment of chaos in the world, many millennials are questioning whether they have been handed the short straw when it comes to adult life. On the back of this, DKFash has written and directed perhaps one of the most nostalgic, side-splittingly funny plays, whilst simultaneously creating a poignant message about society and culture today. Is Dat U Yh? follows four friends who grew up together, on a trip down memory lane. They reminisce about all the “firsts” they shared and the difficult moments they experienced individually and as a group. It has a lot to offer, including “Tamagotchis, Pokemon and alien babies”.

As with much new writing that exists, DKFash manages to accumulate shared memories of any inner-city London millennial, but what sets this apart from a lot that is out there is its unique expression of the inner thinkings of young females and the issues they faced and continue to face in their everyday life.

The simplicity of the set design lends itself well to the storytelling as it is the words that weave together the memories, rather than relying too heavily on props and gimmicks. In a play such as this, less truly is more, and Roisin Jenner does an incredible job of providing just enough to set the scene, without completely distracting from the story at hand.

One of the only disappointments in the production was the lack of microphones for the members of the cast. While it is a small space, due to the nature of the music playing and the characters often talking over each other, it is hard to hear some of the more pivotal moments, especially if they’re immediately preceded by uproarious laughter from the audience. That being said, many times it lends itself to the subtext of the play and the way we often in our youth gloss over the more serious parts of our lives so as not to bring the mood down in the friendship group. A great example of this is right at the beginning of the play where Tia (Zakiyyah Deen) remarks about all the trauma the girls went through in their lives, and she is quickly shut down and they move on to happier talks.

The cast is simply incredible. The dynamic between the four characters on-stage is not something that can be manufactured, but has to have come from a full sense of camaraderie off-stage. Rachael Ridley’s character of Reena is often the showiest of the friendship group but becomes the most endearing, and often the source of comic relief. Antonia Layiwola as Tolu is phenomenal in her overtly “hood” portrayal of Tolu, but expertly achieves the softness necessary, specifically when speaking about “becoming a woman” and getting her period. In this scene particularly, the way all the girls rally around her to comfort her minutes after they laughed at her misunderstanding of what a period was, is enough to leave every person in the audience who has been through similar smiling at the recognition given here.

However, the focal moment of the play occurs when Adeola Yemitan as Debz is in her room and her friends walk in to see posters of white female celebrities with bits of their bodies circled, and it quickly becomes apparent that Debz is longing to look more like these women than to see the beauty in herself. The healing and love of this scene is enough to produce a lump in the throat, as it rings true for many Black women, this idea of not being comfortable with one’s skin colour, especially growing up. And rather than use it as an opportunity to spout hate, the focus remains on building up each other within the friendship group, rather than tearing others down.

An unadulterated barrel of laughter and love, Is Dat U Yh? is an essential show for our time, where hate otherwise seems to prevail. It provides a breath of fresh air to be able to explore some of the wounds we receive and heal from without the pressure of being under the spotlight; a must-watch.

Natallia Pearmain

Is Dat U Yh? is at Brixton House Theatre from 17^th until 27^th April 2024. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.

Watch the trailer for the Is Dat U Yh? here: